Concentrated

Animal

Feeding

Operations

What Are the Federal Requirements for 

Horse and Sheep CAFOs?

In December 2002, EPA revised the Clean Water 

Act regulation for Concentrated Animal Feeding 

Operations, or CAFOs. If you own or operate a 

horse or sheep CAFO, you must apply for a permit. 

This pamphlet gives general information about what 

your permitting authority might require in your 

CAFO’s permit. 

Clean Water Act Requirements

Information Series Pamphlet 

Penalty for Private Use $300Official BusinessWashington, DC 20460Environmental Protection Agency (4203)United States

Other Pamphlets in EPA’s CAFO Clean Water 

Act Requirements Information Series

Will My Operation Be Regulated?

EPA 833-F-02-006

What Are the Federal Requirements for Swine CAFOs?

EPA 833-F-02-007

What Are the Federal Requirements for Chicken and 

Turkey CAFOs?

EPA 833-F-02-008

What Are the Federal Requirements for Dairy Cow and 

Heifer CAFOs?

EPA 833-F-02-009

What Are the Federal Requirements for Beef Cattle and 

Veal Calf CAFOs?

EPA 833-F-02-0010

What Are the Federal Requirements for Duck CAFOs?

EPA 833-F-02-0012

What Are the Federal Record-Keeping and Reporting 

Requirements?

EPA 833-F-02-0013

How do I contact my permitting authority?

Visit www.epa.gov/npdes/afo/statecontacts for contact 

information on your permitting authority.

Where can I get copies of these brochures and 

more information?

Call the Office of Water Resource Center, 

(202) 566-1729 to request copies of these pamphlets and 

other documents. Call the CAFO Phone Line at 

(202) 564-0766 with questions or visit the following EPA or 

USDA web sites.

EPA:

www.epa.gov/npdes/caforule

www.epa.gov/agriculture

USDA:

www.usda.gov

Photos courtesy of USDA 

EPA 833-F-02-0011

December 2002
What will my operation’s permit require? 

Your CAFO permit will require you to meet certain 

conditions for your production and land application 

areas. The specific 

requirements of your permit 

will depend on whether your 

operation is a Large, Medium, 

or designated CAFO. 

Requirements for all horse or sheep CAFOs

You can expect your permit to require you to 

ü Implement a nutrient management plan

ü Submit annual reports to your permitting 

authority

ü Keep your permit current until you completely 

close your operation and remove all manure

ü Keep records of your nutrient management 

practices for at least 5 years

Nutrient management plans for all horse and 

sheep CAFOs must include provisions for

ü Assuring adequate manure storage capacity

ü Proper handling of dead animals and chemicals

ü Diverting clean water from the production area

ü Keeping animals out of surface water

ü Using site-specific conservation practices

ü Developing ways to test manure and soil

ü Assuring appropriate 

use of nutrients when 

you spread manure

ü Keeping records of your 

nutrient management 

practices

The production area

is the area where 

your animals are 

housed and manure 

is stored.

The land application

area includes all 

the land under your 

control where you 

spread manure.

Is my horse or sheep operation a CAFO? 

Your operation is a CAFO 

if it is an animal feeding 

operation (AFO) and it 

meets one of the following 

conditions

Large CAFOs

Your horse or sheep AFO is a Large CAFO if it has at 

least

ü 500 horses

ü 10,000 sheep or lambs

Medium CAFOs

Your horse or sheep AFO is a Medium CAFO if it has 

at least

ü 150 horses

ü 3,000 sheep or lambs

and

ü a man-made ditch or pipe carries manure or 

wastewater from your operation or

ü your animals come into contact with surface 

water running through the area where they’re 

confined

Designated CAFOs

No matter what size your operation is, if it is an 

AFO, it can be designated a CAFO. If your permitting 

authority inspects your operation and finds that it’s 

adding pollutants to surface waters, your operation 

might need a CAFO permit. 

My operation is a CAFO. What do I have to do?

You must apply to your permitting authority for a 

permit. Most states have the authority to manage 

CAFO programs and issue permits. State CAFO 

programs are based on the revised national 

regulation. You can use this pamphlet to help you 

learn about the minimum requirements for a permit. 

You should contact your permitting authority to find 

out what your state-specific requirements are and 

how to apply for a permit. Check the insert to this 

pamphlet for your permitting authority’s contact 

information.

Your permitting authority might set more 

requirements for any size CAFO. 

Requirements for Medium and Designated Horse 

or Sheep CAFOs 

Your permitting authority might set more 

requirements for your nutrient management 

plan. These requirements will depend on the 

permit writer’s best professional judgment and 

could be like the requirements for Large horse or 

sheep CAFOs. 

Requirements for Large Horse or Sheep CAFOs 

Large horse and sheep CAFOs keep the 

production area design requirements in the 

existing CAFO regulation. Horse and sheep 

operations should design their facility to contain 

all of their CAFO’s manure plus the runoff from 

a 25-year, 24-hour rainfall event (large storms). 

(Overflows from large storms are allowed only if 

your operation is designed and operated to meet 

these specifications.)

Transferring manure to other persons

ü Keep records for at least 5 years on the date, 

recipient, amount, and nutrient content of the 

manure you transferred 

ü Information about the nutrient content of your 

manure must be given to the recipient 

See the Pamphlet What Are The Federal Record-Keeping 

and Reporting Requirements? to find out what records 

you should keep and report to your permitting authority

See the pamphlet 

Will My Operation 

Be Regulated? for 

the definition of 

an AFO.